1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a write-once recording medium preserving a data-recording status of the write once-recording medium, a method of preserving the data-recording status of a write-once recording medium, a medium including computer readable code for the same, and a recording and/or reproducing apparatus for the write-once recording medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
A data-recordable area of a recording medium, e.g., an optical disc, is made up of a lead-in area, a lead-out area, and a data area, each of which is made up of clusters. A cluster is a unit in which data is recorded or reproduced. Depending on the type of data and the type of standardized recording method, data clusters are recorded in one of the three areas.
After data recording, bit maps are created to represent information about all areas where data has been recorded, and the bit maps are then recorded in a predetermined area of the recording medium, contributing to convenient data recording and/or reproducing. To be more specific, bit maps are created to represent occupied clusters and unoccupied clusters of each of the lead-in area, the lead-out area, and the data area. The bit maps are recorded on the recording medium so that a recording and/or reproducing apparatus can perform rapid access to a desired area of the recording medium. In particular, since bit maps identify occupied areas of data, they are very useful for write-once recording media, in which management of defects generated during data recording is important.
A finalized write-once recording medium denotes a write-once recording medium in a state where no more data can be recorded to the recording medium. Finalization of a write-once recording medium can be either where a write-once recording medium is finalized even though additional data can be recorded in a user data area of the write-once recording medium, or where a write-once recording medium is finalized when it reaches a predetermined finalization condition, for example, when no more data can be recorded on the write-once recording medium because its user data area is fully occupied with data.
When a write-once recording medium is finalized, the current data recording status of the recording medium needs to be preserved, or changes of the data recording status need to be prevented. Generally, when back-up data or an image photographed by a monitoring camera is recorded on a write-once recording medium, great measures must be taken to prevent a third party from forging or changing the recorded data of the recording medium. Even if the recorded data is changed by a third person, the change in the recorded data needs to be identified, and the original data recorded on the write-once recording medium needs to be ascertained.